Lighting Up the Stars

Lighting Up The Stars
Film poster
Chinese人生大事
Hanyu Pinyinrénshēng dàshì
Directed byLiu Jiangjiang
Screenplay byLiu Jiangjiang
Produced byHan Yan
Starring
CinematographyZhao Yuqing
Edited by
  • Zhu Lin
  • Wei Yong
  • Gao Qiongjiali
Production
companies
Distributed byChina Film Co., Ltd.
Release date
  • June 24, 2022 (2022-06-24) (Mainland China)
Running time
112 minutes
CountryChina
LanguageMandarin
Budget$8 million (including marketing and promotion)
Box office$253.8 million[1][2]

Lighting Up the Stars (Chinese: 人生大事; pinyin: Rénshēng Dàshì; lit. 'Life Events') is a 2022 Chinese drama film written and directed by Liu Jiangjiang, starring Zhu Yilong and Yang Enyou. The film follows the story of a mortician released from prison who meets an orphan during a funeral, which unexpectedly changes his attitude towards career and life.[3]

The film premiered in China on 24 June 2022. The total box office of the film is 1.712 billion yuan, ranking the 4th in China's 2022 box office list.[4]

Plot

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Mortician Mo Sanmei (played by Zhu Yilong) meets orphan Wu Xiaowen (played by Yang Enyou) during a funeral shortly after his release from prison. With reluctance, Mo takes care of Xiaowen and this decision burdens Mo further on top of his existing life problems. After a series of mishaps, this unlikely father-daughter pair develops a special relationship, and it changes how Mo views his job as a mortician and life.

Cast

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  • Zhu Yilong as Mo Sanmei, a mortician.
  • Yang Enyou as Wu Xiaowen, an orphan.
  • Wang Ge as Wang Jianren, a mortician and assistant to Mo Sanmei.
  • Liu Lu as Yin Baixue, a mortician who plays the suona.
  • Luo Jingmin [zh] as Old Mo, Mo Sanmei's father.
  • Zheng Weili [zh] as Madam Mo, Mo Sanmei's elder sister.
  • Janice Wu as Xi Xi, Mo Sanmei's ex-girlfriend.
  • Chen Chuang [zh] as Uncle Wu, Wu Xiaowen's uncle.
  • Li Chunyuan [zh] as Wu Haifei, Wu Xiaowen's mother.
  • Zhou Dan as Aunt, Wu Xiaowen's aunt.
  • Wang Aizhi as Grandmother, Wu Xiaowen's maternal grandmother.

Soundtrack

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No.TitleLyricsMusicSinger(s)Length
1."Lighting Up the Stars (人生大事)" (Opening theme)Zhao ZhaoZhao ZhaoZhao Zhao 
2."People Who Grow Stars (种星星的人)" (Ending theme)Li ShutongJohn Pond OrdwayZhu Yilong/ Yang Enyou 
3."Search for Child Year after year (寻儿记一年复年)" (Interlude)  Zhang Qiaozhen 
4."A Happy Event in the World (人间喜事)" (Interlude)Xia XiaozhiWang NanaXia Xiaozhi 
5."Go to Heaven (上天堂)" (Interlude)Liang LongLiang LongSecond Hand Rose 

Production

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Liu Jiangjiang began to write the screenplay in 2019, which was inspired by the funeral culture in north China.[5] Han Yan (director) [zh] read Liu Jiangjiang's drafts and gave notes for improvement.[6]

Lighting Up the Stars began production on 27 May 2021, in Wuhan and finished filming on 1 August.

Release

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Lighting Up the Stars was slated for release on 2 April 2022 (Qingming Festival), but was postponed to 24 June 2022.[7]

Theatrical and Box Office

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Release Date Country Theatrical Engagements Total Box Office
2022-06-24 Mainland China 529,022 $253,770,000[1]
2022-08-04 Australia 44 $42,191[2]
2022-08-04 New Zealand 12 $6,877[2]
2022-08-05 Canada Limited
2022-08-05 United States Limited

Streaming and viewership

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Release Date Streaming service Available Area Viewership
2022-08-26 IQIYI, Tencent Video, Youku, Mango TV, Xigua Video Mainland China
2022-09-24 Netflix Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam[8] WEEKS IN TOP 10: 3 weeks in Hong Kong, 1 week in Malaysia, 1 week in Singapore, 6 weeks in Taiwan, 1 week in Thailand, 3 weeks in Vietnam.[9]

Reception

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Douban, a major Chinese media rating site, gave the drama 7.3 out of 10.[10]

Accolades

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Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Golden Rooster Awards November 13, 2022 Best Picture Lighting Up the Stars Nominated [11]
Best Directorial Debut Liu Jiangjiang Won [11]
Best Actor Zhu Yilong Won [11]
Best Actress Yang Enyou Nominated [11]
Best Cinematography Zhao Yuqing Nominated [11]
Best Sound Recording Wang Gang/ Liu Xiaosha Nominated [11]
Best Editing Zhu Lin/ Wei Yong/ Gaoqiong Jiali Nominated [11]
Asian Film Awards March 12, 2023 Best Newcomer Yang Enyou Nominated [12][13]
Best Screenplay Liu Jiangjiang, Yu Min Nominated
Best Editing Zhu Lin, Wei Yong, Gao Qiongjiali Nominated

References

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  1. ^ a b "LIGHTING UP THE STARS (人生大事) – Financial Information China". The Numbers. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "Ren sheng da shi (人生大事) (2022) – Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  3. ^ 电影《人生大事》上映第24天票房破14亿. sina (in Chinese). 17 July 2022. Archived from the original on 18 July 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  4. ^ 朱一龙主演《人生大事》上映56天票房累计破17亿 观影人次达4223.7万_娱乐_专业版_刘江江. sohu (in Chinese). Retrieved 14 November 2022.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ 《人生大事》票房近3亿，朱一龙让观众笑泪并存. m.yicai.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  6. ^ 电影《人生大事》发布创作特辑 监制韩延分享幕后故事真诚期许. k.sina.cn (in Chinese). 23 June 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  7. ^ 《人生大事》：无牵挂地告别，有牵挂地活着. xinhuanet.com (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 19 July 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  8. ^ "Netflix Global Search on uNoGS". unogs.com. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  9. ^ "Netflix Weekly Top10 of All Countries". Netflix Weekly Top10 of All Countries.
  10. ^ 人生大事 (2022). douban.com (in Chinese). 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g Xu Lengyi (徐崚怡) (1 November 2022). 第35届中国电影金鸡奖公布提名，《长津湖》入围8项. thepaper (in Chinese). Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  12. ^ Ntim, Zac (6 January 2023). "Asian Film Awards: 'Decision to Leave' And 'Drive My Car' Lead Nominations". Deadline. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  13. ^ Shackleton, Liz (13 March 2023). "'Drive My Car' Wins Best Feature At Asian Film Awards; Tony Leung Takes Best Actor, Asian Contribution Award". Deadline. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
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